Lady Ranger
by Athletiger
Summary: Megan, Will's daughter, goes on an adventure with her friend Richard to prove herself worthy to be the first, and maybe the only, female Ranger in the Corps. OC
1. Beginning of a female Ranger

**So, hello there. This story is a collab, created by me, nightwolf13 (I think that's her account name), and another friend. OC based, but please read. ^.^**

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Halt sighed through his acrimonious facade. He observed the little girl attempting to shoot an arrow at the center of the target on the tree in ardence...and missing the shot. Her persistence was so unyielding that not even her own father could help her. She was as stubborn as a mule-a dominant trait in both her parents. Finally dropping her precious bow imprudently on the ground, she scurried to gather the fallen arrows. Halt noticed the clumsily strung bowstring, her negligence to proper detail in her equipment- just another thing that he would try, and fail, to teach her. When it came to most things, Halt was stubborn. Will and Alyss Treaty were too. But stack a few rocks together, and you get a mountain - exactly what Megan Treaty was-a taciturn girl with a monolithic personality. The family dog, Ebony, watched on the sidelines. Usually, Will let her catch the arrows that flew astray from their targets, so that she would have at least something to keep her occupied, but Megan was so protective of her arrows that the little girl hadn't let Ebony even touch one, fearing the dog would break them. Today, Will was thinking of taking her to just look at the Ranger horses; she was too young to ride one before. As soon as he told her, her countenance lit up.

It's been about six years since he retired from the Ranger Corps-he still took up missions from time to time though, but life had never been any less difficult. Two years after Will and Alyss married, Megan was brought to this world. Concurrently, Princess Cassandra and Horace, Will and Alyss's two friends, had a son, Richard. Halt and his wife Pauline agreed to take care of the kids while the rest did their duty for the land. Megan and Richard grew up together as a result, along with the latter's younger brother Liam, and it was during one of their parents' journeys did Megan, at age fourteen, appropriate Halt's bow to shoot at the nearby archery practice area. Due to the heaviness of the drawback of the bow, Megan injured herself, but it proved to Halt that this little girl, with the aptitude that she had from her father, would someday be part of his former group, and most likely be the first and only female who would be part of the Ranger Corps. Soon after this incident, Halt granted her one of the lighter recurve bows, where she practiced assiduously.

Still watching the failed attempts of Megan shooting targets (although she is starting to get slightly closer to the tree than before, he noted), the retired Ranger slightly stiffened at the sound of quiet footsteps approaching the target clearing. Only a Ranger could weave through a forest that silently, and currently, at that time and place, it was Halt, and now Will, who stood next to his surrogate father, observing his daughter's attempts.

"She still lacks in concentration as well as posture for shooting, doesn't she?" Will commented quietly. "Not only that, she isn't nocking the arrow correctly."

"That's what you get for having two stones for parents," Halt retorted.

"Hey!" The younger Ranger raised his voice at the insult, alerting Megan to the intruders.

"Papa? Grandpa Halt?" Megan asked. "What brings you here?"

"What a fine Ranger I taught," said Halt sarcastically, "he yells when someone insults him, even though he's supposed to be silent."

Will glared at his former mentor. "Because you were totally silent that time that you caught me and Horace singing "Graybeard Halt", right?"

Halt's mouth shut with an audible click, as he attempted to come up with a witty retort. Of all the things Will could have learned from Halt's character, he had to learn his sarcasm and wit. Although it was sometimes useful...

Rolling her eyes, Megan interrupted the conversation, "Says the two Rangers who always tell me to be quiet."

Both immediately glared at her and she glared right back. Maybe the trait was hereditary because Megan had it too.

"You're not even an apprentice Ranger; you're not even allowed to talk back," Will finally responded.

Megan continued to stare down her two elders and was about to say,"Well I think..."

Sighing Will said, "So anyways Megan, I was going to take you to see..." but cut off as soon as he saw a green-cloaked figure running not so conspicuously toward them; it was Gilan's apprentice, Aiken.

"Will, Halt," the boy breathlessly greeted, "Crowley wants you to check on the Special Task Group; there has been trouble in Arridi and Selethen requests your and Horace's help. He says to come immediately to his office as soon as you get the message."

Will and Halt exchanged skeptical looks, but nodded at Aiken. Gathering their bows, Will and Halt turned to leave.

"Sorry Megan. I'll take you when we come back, okay?" said Will.

"Sure. Have a good trip Dad, Grandpa Halt," replied Megan.

"Since when did I become 'Grandpa' Halt..." grumbled the older Ranger as they left the clearing. "Anyways, isn't it odd to have such sudden trouble like this? Arridi's been peaceful for the last few years." he said, turning to the younger Ranger.

"I wouldn't know,"said Will. "It's probably something a whole lot bigger than one tribe in revolt- I mean, for them to call the Ranger Corps from Araluen, things must be bad..."

The voices slowly filtered out of the clearing as the two left to prepare for their upcoming mission, leaving Megan peace and quiet to shoot in peace until suppertime.

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**Your thoughts? Please review!**


	2. Horrifying dream

Two nights after the Task Group left, there was a light knock at Megan's door. Megan, a natural light sleeper, woke immediately to the sound. She crept across the room to find Richard standing pale at the door.

"Megan," he gushed, tumbling word upon word,

"IwastakingcareofLiamwhenIdecidedtoleavehimalonefo raminuteandthenextthingInoticedhewasgone..."

"Whoa..." Megan gasped as though she was the one speeding through his message, "Slow down. I didn't understand a single word you said."

Her spine stiffened with each word as Richard slowly repeated his devastating news.

Though horrified, Megan tried to pacify him, saying determinedly, "It's ok, Richard. We'll find him."

Richard sniffed, hardly placated, "Mother will be so upset...she doesn't know yet..."

Megan scoffed. "Of course she doesn't know; it's around 3 AM in the morning."

Seeing that Richard was about to burst into tears, she softened her voice and reiterated, "I'll think of a plan and set out tomorrow to look for him. I might be able to prove to Father that I'm capable of being an apprentice Ranger!" Just thinking of it made her giddy and excited.

"I want to come too. He's my brother and not to mention a prince," Richard said stubbornly.

"Fine," Megan agreed. It didn't hurt to have some human company along with one of her dad's horses and dog, Ebony. "Now go get some rest and we'll get started on a plan tomorrow morning."

The sleepy sun peeked out of the rosy pink cotton candy clouds. It filtered through the thin window of Megan's bedroom and immediately woke her promptly at 6 AM. She rolled out of bed and almost stepped on a snoozing Ebony curled up on her rug. Ebony's ears immediately perked up as she quickly stood alert, looking at her master's daughter with a keen eye.

"We must go and save Liam," Megan told her. The dog just wagged her tail in acknowledgement, before following the girl out of cabin. Richard was already up, standing next to the door silently, looking at her with a pale face and red-rimmed eyes. Together, they silently left the cabin, only to find Pauline standing on the porch of her little cottage, looking at them.

"Why are you two up so early?" Pauline implored. She glanced sharply between one exhausted face to the other tear-stained face.

Shoot, Megan thought. That wasn't part of the plan. Part 1 of the plan was to go into the stables and get Tug, then race away as fast as possible into the forest without being seen. And then, if Part 1 worked, then they'd go on to Part 2 to think of ways to find Liam. Already Part 1 of the plan fell through. Richard looked at Megan nervously, unsure of what to say.

"Lady Pauline," Megan curtsied, "We were just going for a stroll." She managed to keep a calm facade.

Lady Pauline raised her eyebrows disbelievingly, "This early, Megan? You're usually known as the night owl, not the morning person."

"I've got an upset stomach, Lady Pauline." said Richard. "I thought Megan might help me- maybe go get some plants to make medicine, since she has studied them before."

Lady Pauline thought it over carefully, before nodding her approval. "I see no holes in your logic. You may go, but be careful."

Megan and Richard raced into the forest, then doubled back to grab Tug and Ebony who were waiting at the stables.

Where are you taking me? Tug looked at her skeptically. Megan grunted and tugged the reins harder.

Tug stood stubbornly in place, I'm not going to move a single hoof if you don't tell me. By the way, do you have an apple?

"No, I don't," Megan snapped, "We're going to find Prince Liam. Now c'mon!"

Tug cocked his head, I want an apple. I missed my daily apple yesterday. The horse looked dejectedly at the ground.

With a sigh, Megan found a random apple sitting in her pack and she gave it to the ever so eager Tug. He chewed on it contentedly and allowed Megan to rein him in. After saying the passcode, she climbed on the small horse and pulled Richard up in front of her. Tug cantered out of the stables, with the two children on his back, off to seek Liam.

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**Thank you for all who read the first chapter, plus that one reviewer (Number Eleven) who reviewed. I was just on vacation, so now I'll be back in full swing in the upcoming days (if that is even possible for me). Anyways, please review, comment, criticize, etc. for me...pretty please? I'll make cake...**


	3. Cliché

"What are you doing?" asked Richard, as Megan jumped off Tug to study the ground.

"Tracking. Anything that might signal someone passing here, or something that could identify Liam might be here. That'll tell us where to go."

"Alright. So things like footprints, and broken sticks and-hey, what's this?" Richard held up a stick with a scrap of cloth on it.

"Careful, there! Be gentle-you might destroy it!" said Megan, gently prying the stick from his hand. "This is why you'd fail as a Ranger..." she muttered. She studied it closely. "Was Liam wearing anything purple when he went missing?"

The boy hesitated, "Um...yes, I think he wearing a purple tunic...you know, the regular ones."

Megan nodded, "Where'd you find that stick?"

Richard pointed, "Over there sticking out of that bush by that path."

Megan made her way slowly over to the bush and edged along the border of the path, careful not to disturb any important evidence.

"Aha!" She smiled and saw a very faint, muddled set of footprints alongside the bush. It looked like there was some mild scuffling involved. "This is exactly what I needed!"

Richard stooped down and examined them closely with Megan. "Looks like they headed down on this deer path."

Megan looked farther down the path and beckoned both Tug, Richard and Ebony to follow. "I think we're on the right track. Let's get moving."

So they trudged down the worn path and were on the lookout for more clues, when Ebony stopped and growled. Tug too, stopped and pawed the ground nervously.

"Come on! We need to hurry to get to Liam!" yapped Richard, completely unaware of the animals' warnings.

Megan, knowing both the animals well, knew something was wrong. She quickly clamped a hand over his mouth. "Shhhh! There's something out there! It'll do Liam great good if we're also killed!" she whispered sarcastically.

He nodded as she dropped her hand from his mouth. Pounding noises approached, and the bushes began to shake. Megan stood in the front, bow ready, with an arrow nocked. Her aim wasn't great, but the sight of a bow and arrow might make enemies flee before attacking.

But when she heard the snorts and grunts, Megan knew she was wrong. A bow and arrow wouldn't do anything to this creature even if she could shoot well. Only experts could take it down in one shot, and it took full grown knights to kill one with spears - let alone swords.

Dropping her bow, she turned and shoved Richard away, trusting Ebony and Tug to know to get bush behind her burst with the shape of a wild boar hurtling through, straight towards her. She knew she couldn't run- she wouldn't make it. They were all in jeopardy of the wild creature, but she figured the others could get away if she distracted it.

"Richard, RUN! Tug! Ebony! Get away!" she yelled, darting to the other edge of the clearing, while drawing her pair of steel saxe knives. These weren't the original; she wouldn't get the real ones until she was a Ranger Apprentice- but they might help her distract the boar. She threw the smaller one, and lashed out with the larger, losing her grip as it stuck in the fur of the boar. But it only served to incense the creature even more. She backed up until she bumped into a tree; she heard Richard yelling from across the clearing.

She saw the boar's tusks glinting in the dawn light, and the glint in it eyes, knowing that its prey was caught. She closed her eyes, holding in her panic - when someone grabbed her round the waist and pulled her close. Then she heard the boar squeal and fall with a thump to the ground, dead. She looked up and saw Richard holding her close to his taller frame with one hand, the other extended with his sword pointing straight out, boar blood now running off the silver blade.

Megan couldn't help it. She started crying. And she hated crying - it was her pet peeve. Richard dropped his sword, and slowly sat down, pulling Megan down next to him. He pat her back and squeezed her shoulders, calming her down. Ebony ran over and jumped into her lap and started licking her as if there was no tomorrow. Even Tug came over, and with a small nudge conveyed his feelings of relief. She also silently cursed herself for her negligence in watching their surroundings. Her father definitely would have told her that there was a wild boar in the area by just looking at the marks on the ground and the broken branches. Her lack of circumspect could have gotten them all killed - and Liam would be long gone. In a sense, it marred her mental image, as she knew that she was the protector of this scout.

Richard hugged her and tried to calm her down. He knew that she was actually a very emotional girl, and she really loved being with other people. But the legacies of her parents and adopted grandparents left her very pressured - if they were geniuses who could do amazing things on their own, then she had to too. Because of it, she stressed herself out and shut others out, when she actually needed support. She slowly began to calm down, and dry her tears - although the shock would take some time to get over. Almost getting speared by a boar was no joke- now she understood her father's true terror that day so many years ago.

"Are you ok?" Richard asked tentatively.

"Yeah, I think so," Megan said, still trying to catch her breath. She told herself to take a deep breath and calm down. "Alright, now let's be a little more prudent and observant," she said, while collecting her bow, arrows and knives.

Richard agreed. He patted Tug and Ebony. "You guys are good at warning us!"

Tug snorted and tossed his mane as if to say, That's exactly what I'm for, boy. Now let's get going.

So the party started off again, at a little slower pace as they meandered through the labyrinth of the forest. It wasn't long before the weather became inclement. Heavy clouds gathered in the sky before all heaven broke loose, creating a large rainstorm, as if to beckon the group closer and closer to danger. The rain precipitated the muddy path, forcing the group into a parochial cliff with a small cave, while they waited for the storm to cease.

Megan sighed miserably, reasons being the cold and dark weather and her shock from her ordeal with the boar. "We're losing all our clues to find Liam."

Richard, taking pity on Megan -not that she knew, or she would have whacked him - was chivalrous and gave his warmer spot to Megan. Megan, in her misery, took no notice of his kindness, and immediately fell asleep. They were not the only ones in the cave; even misanthropic animals such as the red fox appropriated their little warm area, trying to get out of the cold.

"She didn't even eat dinner," Richard murmured softly, looking gently at the equitable girl. Although there was barely any substantive food in their packs, Richard still ate some bread; he was absolutely starving. In her haste, Megan must have neglected the qualitative aspect of their food - usually,before going on missions, they would always stop by Auntie Jenny's to get some good food. Unfortunately, seeing as this was an unofficial and rather abrupt mission, they didn't have time, and they couldn't afford to let anyone know that the second prince was missing. He slowly dazed off to ephemeral peace, dreaming about himself being a knight in shining armor ready to fight for Araluen and perhaps his best friend.

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**Cliche, I know. But, I hoped you like it! Reviews to make the author happy, plus a few more pieces of candy sent across the internet?**


	4. Thoughts for a Young Ranger

Megan woke up to the quiet of the morning, thinking that she was in her bed, before realizing in a nebulous thought that it was very cold. She woke up with a start and quickly recalled all the memories from the previous night. She, in a panic, realized she was on a quest to save Liam, and that Richard had been nice to her. And she hadn't done anything about it. That scared her. How was she to become strong if she was relying on someone else to help her? She had to pay him back and make the field even once again. Then she remembered - he'd even saved her life! She groaned. Could this day not get any worse? Being saved, and then pitied?

Richard woke up when he heard movements around the cave. Their meager fire had gone out hours before, but the cave was still slightly warm. The other animals had left long ago, but thankfully, they hadn't touched any of their food supplies. They couldn't have a dearth of food supplies while on a mission; especially when neither could hunt very well. He noticed Megan awake, staring off into space, emotions flashing across her face. When Richard heard her groan, he had a pretty good idea about why. She was probably thinking about him saving her from the boar. He sighed. While he knew that almost getting killed was scary, it was really starting to get in the way of their mission. While Megan had been the demagogue before, encouraging everyone to do their best, he now had to act like the patriarch,making sure that everyone was rested, fed, and ready to go. But he had to admit- it actually felt good taking care of someone else and not being taken care of. Megan really needed to relax a bit; maybe even get a few female friends, instead of being secluded in her own little world of training.

"Are you hungry, Megan?" he asked, startling the girl out of her silent daze.

"Ah! No, I'm fine! I'll take care of everything else!" she quickly responded, getting up off the floor.

Ebony grabbed her cloak and yanked-hard. Megan landed on the ground with a thump, utterly confused as to this sudden new turn of events. She angrily stood up and glared at her dog before stomping out of the cave, most likely to cool off. However, she was not indigenous to the area, and with her being lax, it could result in her downfall, as it did now. She did not notice the faint rustling of the ferns until at the last moment, with a cursory glance, she jumped out of the way. She saw the figure of a little girl, carrying a large water pitcher as best as she could. Her back and arms were marred - maybe from a fire - and was she was scarcely clothed. As soon as she saw Megan, she dropped the pitcher, shattering it into a million tiny pieces. She quickly raised her hands over head, as if to protect herself from a beating, but lowered them when the expected blow did not come. She looked curiously at Megan, who was standing still, watching her.

"What's your name?" she called to the little girl, hoping her voice did not daunt the little girl.

"...B-blythe," she whispered shakily.

Megan narrowed her eyes at the diverse scars. "How did you get those scars?" she asked gently.

The girl shook in fear: her lips trembled; her eyes watered. However, as she opened her mouth, a new voice called out, "Megan? Megan! Are you okay? Me-"

"I'm fine!" she called out to the voice. Blythe, startled, pulled back behind a tree trunk.

"It's okay Blythe. That's Richard, my friend. He's really nice." she comforted the girl. She slowly walked towards the young girl, unlatching her cloak, and wrapping it around the girl. Blythe looked at the innocuous faces before following Megan obediently. The older girl brought her to the path, stopping in front of the group, noticing her malnourished body.

"This is Richard, Ebony, and Tug. They're all part of my family," she told the girl. "Can you get some food Richard? She's probably hungry."

Richard, knowing Megan well enough to not doubt her, handed over some dried meat and bread, along with clean water. Blythe looked at it as though it were a bomb, but hesitantly reached out to take some.

"It's okay, Blythe. It's all yours to eat," said Megan, calming the nervous girl. Blythe wolfed the food down and Megan could have sworn the girl hadn't eaten in several days. She showed great felicity, although it was a very crude meal. She told Megan about how she didn't get much food, and how her family had died. Megan, in return, told Blythe about their search for the kidnappers of Richard's brother. Blythe recognized Megan's description of Liam, but suddenly, her happy face turned into panic and she rushed out of the cave. Megan swiftly followed, and gently grabbed the younger girl.

"Blythe! What's wrong?" she questioned.

"I have to go back!" she cried, giving a very obscure answer.

Megan was puzzled, "Where?"

Blythe looked at Megan wildly. "My...my...my...mas...masters..."

"What? Who?" Megan asked, still not understanding her abstruse answer.

Instead of answering, Blythe snatched Megan's hand and took her through many confusing paths and foliages. The group followed until she she stopped abruptly. Megan crashed into her. Tug snorted, as if to say, Why would you do such a silly thing like that?

Megan glared at him as she waited for the reason of the abrupt stop.

"Careful," Blythe told the group once they all stopped, "Don't step into those plants over there...they're quite noxious." She pointed to several queer looking plants on the side of the path, near some fallen branches.

She once again led the way until they were behind a large rock pile. "Stop here," she instructed. Blythe handed Megan back her cloak, and slowly shuffled forward into the clearing, head lowered, and shying away - similar to how she was acting before. She slowly walked into a small, bustling camp. The group watched as the little girl weaved her way through many similarly dressed children and approached the largest tent

A scalding and unforgiving voice was heard from the inside, "Blythe, where were you? Where's the water?"

Blythe was slapped; a loud ringing was heard across the clearing, into the straining ears of Richard and Megan. Megan's teeth clenched, and Richard, Ebony and Tug had to hold her back, to stop her from rushing out and shooting the offender. Unbeknownst to them, a small head from across the clearing looked up from his work, hoping that someone had come to look for him. Blythe was cruelly dragged to the center of the clearing, and whipped with a leather lash by a man who Megan knew had to be her 'Master'.

Tug nickered softly. Ebony's ears perked up at the call.

"Shhhh!" Megan put a hand over Tug's mouth.

Tug shoved her hand away and looked at her with distaste, Your hand smells really bad and if you would just look in that general direction, you'll know why I just neighed.

Megan looked to where Tug's nose was pointed and realized that their mission was nearly complete. Liam was working in a far corner of the clearing. So the bandits were also slave masters. It figured- that was why they kidnapped children. All they had to do was find a way to get Liam out of there and save the rest of the impoverished children as well.

"Liam, Blythe, we will come save you," Megan whispered in hopes that they heard her message. She turned to her group. "Let's go. We have some planning to do."

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Well, hello thar. Thank you for all who read the story so far and liked it as well as reviewed it. Please do the author a favor (as well as her friends) and write a criticism for the story, as well as favorite it! Arigato gozaimasu!


	5. Executing the Final Plan

The plan was simple. Megan would lure out the 'Master', while Richard, Ebony, and Tug got the children out of there. If worst comes to worst, Megan would just have to kill him. She hoped that she didn't need to go that far as she'd never even injured someone before. They slowly backtracked their steps that they took earlier that afternoon.

Bruised and bloody, Blythe saw them leaving, but she trusted Megan more than anyone else - even in those few minutes they'd talked, she'd been like an older sister. When her master released her on another task, she wandered over to the new slave, Liam, and told him about Megan and Richard. He thanked her, and helped her bandage her new wounds, spreading his own healing balm on her back.

All she had to do was wait - it wasn't long now that their salvation has come, but she would wait; Megan would come up with something, she was sure. Then all the kids could go back to their families - except for her. She knew that her family was dead- she'd seen her own parents with arrows in their backs. But the other kids had said that their parents were still alive, hopefully. Most of the kids had been snatched while they were on their own doing chores, like fetching water. Blythe had encouraged them to believe that their families were safe- it gave them a sense of hope, if anything. Blythe figured that Megan could find some way to get everyone back to their families-no, she was certain that Megan would, especially if her story of Richard and Liam being the princes were true.

Wow, she thought, she was depending a lot on Megan. But there was something about Megan, that just told her she was kind, and a welcoming spirit- that she would save everyone regardless of the dangers.

Using her best Ranger ability possible of moving quietly, Megan stealthily crept up behind the Master's tent. She grabbed an oiled cloth as she walked towards it before she wrapped it around the blade and lit it with a nearby torch. The cloth quickly lit up into a flaming ball. She nocked the arrow on her bow, ignoring the heat on her hand before letting it fly towards the nearest item closest to the tent: one of the noxious ferns that Blythe pointed out to her earlier. It apparently was highly flammable, and it quickly turned into a blazing inferno.

"FIRE!" Megan screamed. She immediately ducked into the darkness after her yell. Her voice carried all across the clearing, and it was not a few seconds later when all the tents tore open with screaming children and chaos in general. The leader came out of the tent, swearing and grumbling at his misfortune. He roared over the chaos. "Get in order! Stay in -"

A grunt replaced his orders; Richard had hit him over the head with the flat of his sword. However, luck was on the group's side, as another one of the leader's minions had raced out from another tent and engaged the knight-to-be in sword fighting. It was a close call. The opponent had more experience; Richard had the nimbleness and speed to avoid most of the attacks.

After many grueling attempts to knock him unconscious, Megan finally helped out with the duel. She punctured the opponent's fighting arm, deeming it useless. Richard stabbed him in the stomach. It wouldn't be long before he left this earth now, but he still left Richard many scars from the battle. Richard and Megan raced across the clearing, grabbing children as they went.

"Hurry!" Megan yelled to the children, "We've got to get out of here!"

The children looked between her and the leader warily for a few seconds before they scrambled after her, not wanting to be burned. Maybe they followed her because the ever so cute Ebony was shepherding them like lost sheep. Blythe helped some of the younger children at the back of the line. Tug carried the smallest children on his back. So far, the plan was going well; the children trusted her without a doubt.

Yet, Megan felt there was something wrong. She shook away the feeling and continued to herd the children out. Finally they got past the blazing fire and were on their way to the cave.

"Blythe," Megan called to the younger girl.

"Yes?" the girl responded.

"How many children are in the camp?" she asked Blythe.

"Twenty," Blythe answered.

Megan did a quick head count. As she counted she realized that she was missing one.

"Shoot!" Megan cried in horror as she realized who she was missing, "Wait here! I have to go back and find Liam!"

She raced through the undergrowth and back to that dreadful place. By now, hungry flames were licking all the tents in the camp and finally found Liam cowering under the master.

"It's your fault these intruders came!" the Master roared. (he had recovered, apparently)

"B-b-but, sir! I didn't do anything, I swear!" Liam stuttered.

"You-" the Master never finished his sentence. Megan's arrow hit him straight in the heart and he fell back, dead.

It was a perfect, clean Ranger shot; a bull's eye, but she knew she couldn't stand there and marvel at it. She could tell her father later.

"C'mon Liam!" she screamed over the roaring of the flames and grabbed the very shocked Liam out of the ruined camp, before they were smothered by the smoke and flames.

It was a close call; saving Liam. Will, Halt and Horace had no problems with their mission: all they had to do was show up at the battle, and then their opponents fled with their tails between their legs at the sight of the infamous Araluen Rangers. Megan and Richard, not so much. When then came back, they looked as if they had run all the way to the neighboring fief and back. On top of that, they had about twenty malnourished children with them- its was anyone's guess as to what they'd been doing.

When Will, Halt and Horace had gone home to find the entire village frantic with worry, all they could do was wait until someone bothered to explain what was going on. Then Alyss and Cassandra, along with Jenny, Pauline and Gilan came racing down the path, all dressed for travel.

"Will someone care to explain this entire uproar to us?" said Halt, clearly annoyed about being outside the loop.

"Liam, Richard and Megan are missing, along with Tug and Ebony."

That's all it took for the 3 men to sprint to their respective mounts, Will borrowing a spare Ranger horse, and saddle up. As they were doing so, they heard shouts, and screams coming from down the road, where they saw a large group of people.

Upon closer observation, they were all children, with a horse and a black and white dog. 3 small children sat on the back of Tug, while Ebony ran in front of the pack. Megan was giving a younger girl a piggy-back ride, while Richard was carrying their food. Liam was holding Tug's reins, while also leaning on the horse's flank. Alyss immediately rushed forward, along with Cassandra, fretting over the children. Lady Pauline came forward, a strict but relieved look on her face.

"Last I checked, I gave you permission to get a few herbs from the woods for medicine- not to take the road to hell and back." she chided them. "But I'm glad you're safe." she said as she embraced them.

"M-megan?" asked Blythe, cautiously.

"Oh! That's right! This is Lady Pauline, Blythe. Lady Pauline, this is Blythe." said Megan.

"Care to explain how you ended up with 20 children behind you?" asked Halt.

"Umm..." Megan looked to Richard for help.

"Liam was kidnapped, so we went to save him and saved the other kids too." summarized Richard.

"I want the full story later- its not everyday a Ranger's apprentice takes a mission without her master." said Will, with a smile.

"Ranger... Apprentice?! I'm an apprentice! Yes!" Megan shouted gleefully.

Will tousled her hair playfully. "Only once you explain why you didn't tell any of us adults who are trained about this."

Megan grinned sheepishly. Turning to Cassandra, she asked "Aunt Cassandra, could you find someone to help the other kids find their families- they all come from somewhere on Redmont Fief."

"Definitely." she said, smiling.

As the various children were led away, Blythe held on to Megan even more closely. Megan gave her a piggyback ride, to the cottage, where she helped the girl bath, bandage her wounds, and wear fresh new clothes. Her parents came soon after, along with Tug and Ebony.

"Who is this Megan?" asked Alyss.

"Blythe. My new sister," She responded with certainty.

Alyss glanced at Will with confusion. By his look, he didn't know anything either.

"Doesn't she have to go home?" asked Will. " Her parents must be worried about her-"

"From paradise they are," she responded quietly, rubbing the younger girl's back soothingly.

Will understood that her parents were dead, and pulled Alyss out of the room to discuss things. Megan, instead, braided Blythe's hair, and then sent her straight to sleep, singing softly until she fell asleep.

Will and Alyss looked through the small hole in the door, and smiled when they saw their daughter act like a big sister to the younger girl. They had decided that Blythe was going to stay anyway, but it was nice to see the bond the girls had already developed.

Megan slipped out of the room, glaring at her parents who stood guiltily by the door.

"I'll cook some dinner,"said Alyss, while Will silently slipped out the door to the stables to see Tug.


End file.
